Yukon Republic
This faction is completely defunct, merely intended as flavor text and to serve as backstory for another. It was not, nor it will ever be an active participant in Espionage Wars. ''' '''Overview The Yukon Republic '''was a sovereign state that existed from 1946 to 1981, occupying the northern portion of present-day Alaska. Founded as a refuge for those seeking an escape from the troubled outside world, the Yukon Republic maintained a strict policy of armed neutrality and isolationism from founding to dissolution. '''History Early years (1921-1939) In 1921, an expedition led by the business partners Isaac Hemmingsworth II and Alexander Grey founded the settlement of Kielder, along the banks of the river Yukon in Western Alaska. Isaac Hemmingsworth II was a renowned Arctic explorer and former British Army officer, who had served in the First World War several years prior. Alexander Grey was an American entrepreneur, the owner of a number of successful mining ventures in Canada and the northern United States. Though principally established as a mining venture, Kielder was also intended to serve as an isolated refuge for troubled First World War veterans to recuperate and recover from the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Hemmingsworth had experienced the war directly, and seen the horrors that many men were faced to endure in the trenches. Grey, who had seen many of his mine workers drafted, had seen the poor treatment of returning veterans with PTSD. Both men believed that a settlement far from the troubles of modern civilization would serve as a good place for rehabilitation. Originally intended as a temporary stop for those seeking to recuperate, many troubled veterans chose to make Kielder their home permanently, appreciating the sympathetic treatment of their condition and the simple lifestyle. Hemmingsworth began to advertise the community as an escape from the world's troubles, spreading the word through newspaper and radio advertisements. Several more mining sites were established along the Yukon river by Grey, with growing communities springing up around them as the population began to grow. Hemmingsworth's advertisements began to refer to the community as the "Yukon Republic". Expansion was relatively slow until 1929, when the Great Depression struck the United States. With many seeking an escape or a fresh start, the population of the region doubled in a matter of months, prompting the construction of a number of new settlements, as well as a great deal of infrastructure, paid for by Grey's mining ventures. Mounting tensions in Europe during the 1930s saw further population growth. By 1939, the communities of the Yukon Republic stretched far along the banks of the Yukon river, with some mining communities even up as far north as the foothills of the Brooks range. Despite the bitter cold and general inhospitable nature of the Alaskan wilderness, many settlements thrived. Second World War (1939-1945) The settlements of the Yukon Republic continued to slowly grow as the Second World War began. A small number of refugees made their way from Europe, though many chose to settle elsewhere. In 1941, the United States entered the war following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. Though some were drafted, many men in the Yukon Republic registered as conscientious objectors. Others were allowed to remain, as the mines they worked were deemed essential to the war effort. Following the Japanese occupation of the Aleutian islands in 1942, the Yukon Republic began to seriously consider organizing an armed militia. Purchasing weapons proved difficult during wartime, but a number of surplus First World War weapons were sourced, and training began in the spring of 1943. The Yukon Civil Guard (YCG) had been established. War of Independence (1945-1945) During the final months of the Second World War in 1945, the leadership of the Yukon Republic quietly began to consider the prospect of declaring independence from the United States. The public mood was a general displeasure at the draft and being forced to contribute to the war effort on behalf of a country who they sought freedom from. The concept of forming an independent, neutral state proved quite popular. In early 1946, the Yukon Republic began to campaign for independence. Following a series of heated political debates with the United States government, the proposal was rejected. Eventually, a number of United States Army units were deployed to Alaska to quell the uprising and remove the separatist leaders from power. On the 1st of August 1946, the United States Army crossed the Yukon river. Despite being hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned, the Yukon Civil Guard put up a stiff resistance to the American incursion, quickly bogging down their advance. Yukon casualties were high, but the American advance had slowed to a crawl. The war effort against the Yukon Republic proved quite unpopular with a war-weary American public, who saw little point in fighting to hold onto northern Alaska, a region many regarded as a barren wasteland. Lacking public support, and faced with the prospect of fighting a determined enemy through a bitter Alaskan winter, the American advance halted in November of 1946. A ceasefire was declared shortly after, and talks were re-opened. In the spring of 1947, the Yukon Republic was granted independence from the United States of America. Cold War (1947 - 1975) After being granted Independence, the Yukon Republic adopted a policy of armed neutrality, akin to Switzerland. Discovery of further mineral and oil deposits in the 1950s boosted the country's economy. As Cold War tensions begun to mount, the United States became concerned that the Yukon Republic, historically known as a refuge for outsiders and free-thinkers, may potentially fall under the influence of Communism. With the additional concern of a Soviet land invasion through Alaska in a time of war, the United States decided it was in their best interests to arm the Yukon Republic and win their favor through military aid. Despite the Yukon Republic's firm position of neutrality, the United States hoped to establish them as an effective speedbump to any possible Soviet advance. Sales and donations of military equipment to the Yukon Republic started in 1957, initially consisting of World War II surplus equipment, but gradually shifting to more modern technology as time progressed. Downfall (1975-1981) Following Alaska's incorporation as the United States' 49th state in 1959, a political debate began within the Yukon Republic, as some began to wonder if statehood was preferable to independence. The debate caused deep political divisions within the Yukon Republic, with many seeing the prospect of forfeiting independence as a betrayal of the country's founding morals and to those who gave their lives in the war for independence. This shift in political stance has been largely accredited to an influx of American opponents to the Vietnam War during the 1960s and 1970s. Many moved to the Yukon Republic as an act of protest over the United States' involvement in Vietnam and of the draft, but were dissatisfied with the hardships of life in the arctic climate, and were largely unsympathetic to the nation's original cause and motive. In 1975, Benjamin Gibbard was elected as the Yukon Republic's fifth president. With growing public support for Yukon statehood, President Gibbard opened talks with the United States in 1977. After four years of negotiations and debate, a deal was struck. In January 1981, the Yukon Republic became the 51st US state of Yukon. Aftermath Although much of the population supported the transition, many more were left dissatisfied and betrayed by the government's choice to rejoin the United States. Protests against the decision that had begun in the late 1970s heated up, culminating in a period of civil unrest that led to the declaration of Martial law across the state and the deployment of the newly formed Yukon National Guard to keep the peace. The controversy and unrest surrounding the changeover from nation to state caused the population of the region to drop drastically. With the Vietnam War now over, many of those who had moved to Yukon in protest of the war simply returned home. By 1983, the former territory of the Yukon Republic was largely abandoned. A number of communities remained, largely focused around the industries predating the nation's founding. With much of the state effectively empty and few against the decision, Yukon was merged with Alaska in 1984. Military Yukon Civil Guard Founding The Yukon Civil Guard was originally formed as volunteer defense force in 1943, following the Japanese occupation of the Aleutian Islands. Many founding members were veterans of the First World War, who along with a small number of Finnish Winter War veterans, provided much of the training for the early force. Initially, the Civil Guard was equipped with First World War surplus rifles and machine guns, being all that could be sourced during the war. In late 1945, as the Second World War concluded, a small number of more modern weapons were obtained, including artillery and submachine guns. When the Yukon Republic made a bid for independence in 1946, the Civil Guard were mobilized to defend against the American force being deployed. Though ill-equipped, heavily outnumbered, and with limited training, the Civil Guard put up a spirited resistance to the American incursion. Civil Guard casualties were high, but the American advance ground to a halt. The valiant efforts of the Civil Guard were a major contributing factor in the granting of independence to the Yukon Republic. Cold War Post-independence, the Yukon Civil Guard were reorganized and expanded into a more regular military force, purchasing large quantities of Second World War surplus weaponry and equipment to equip their growing military. Starting in 1957, the Yukon Civil Guard begun to receive military aid and discounted equipment from the United States. By the time of the Yukon Republic's dissolution, the Yukon Civil Guard was a sizable and well-equipped military force. In 1981, the Yukon Civil Guard were downsized and reorganized as the Yukon National Guard, before being absorbed into the Alaskan National Guard in 1984. A number of the Yukon Civil Guard's former bases and installations were used briefly for training exercises by US National Guard and Army units, before being completely abandoned in 1985. Yukon Air Guard The Yukon Air Guard, founded in 1950, served as the Yukon Republic's air force. Originally equipped with Second World War era fighter aircraft, the Air Guard were re-equipped with modern jet fighters in 1959. In 1970, the Yukon Republic ordered a significant number of F-4 Phantoms to update the Air Guard's aging fleet of fighter jet aircraft. By 1981, the Air Guard had over three hundred F-4s and F-4 variants in inventory. The Air Guard was completely disbanded in 1981. Many of its older aircraft were scrapped, while the F-4s and other modern aircraft were placed in storage, pending evaluation for transfer abroad or to US Military units. Yukon Coast Guard The Yukon Coast Guard, formed in 1957, were tasked with defending the coastal waters of the Yukon Republic. The coast Guard were the smallest branch of the Yukon Republic's military, equipped with surplus Second World War US Navy vessels from the beginning to the end. Disbanded in 1981, most of the Coast Guard's former vessels, too old to be of any value as warships, were either left to rot at their piers or sunk as target practice by the United States Navy. Legacy Ultimately, owing in large part to their policies of isolationism and neutrality, the existence of the Yukon Republic left little impact on the outside world. A number of the Yukon Republic's settlements have survived into the 21st century, primarily those supporting still-functioning industries such as mining and logging. A few small communities of former Yukon Republic citizens still exist throughout Alaska, though many who supported the nation's original cause have long since passed away. Most of the former nation's settlements and infrastructure were abandoned in the early 1980s. Having gradually succumbed to the weight of snow and ice that have settled upon them in the intervening years, very few traces of the former nation's roads and railways can be found today. A handful of derelict ghost towns have survived in the southern regions, though very little has survived in the harsh north. The Yukon Republic's former capital, Kielder, was abandoned in 1992 after the mine finally ran dry. Many of the Yukon Republic's state-funded oil and gas mining operations were sold to private companies in the 1980s, most of which are still operating today. Possible connections to ''Grey Storm'' While the origins of the paramilitary group known as "Grey Storm" remain shrouded in mystery, a number of ties between the group and the former Yukon Republic have come to light in recent years. According to information obtained by the United States Central Intelligence Agency, Grey Storm's primary motive and mission statement is to "maintain a state of armed neutrality in order to ensure freedom and independence at any cost". This has led many to suspect that Grey Storm was founded by former citizens of the Yukon Republic, angry at the decision to forgo independence in favor of statehood. Additionally, a number of the Yukon Republic's former military assets appear to have made their way into the hands of the paramilitary group. In 1994, an unmarked F-4E Phantom II crashed in the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve near Fairbanks, Alaska. After examination of the aircraft's serial number, it was revealed to be one of a number of Yukon Air Guard F-4s that were reported as having been destroyed when a hangar collapsed during a snowstorm in 1979. Though unconfirmed, a number of other Yukon Air Guard aircraft reported as having crashed or been lost at sea are also believed to have potentially ended up in Grey Storm's hands. Following the closure of the Yukon Republic's F-4 manufacturing plant in 1980, the factory's jigs, tooling, design documentation and spare parts were sold off as a package to a private venture. The company promptly declared bankruptcy and folded in 1981 following a series of lawsuits from McDonnell Douglas, leaving the ultimate fate of the factory's contents a mystery. Due to their sizable fleet of F-4s and apparent ability to maintain them into the 21st century, some believe that the tooling and documentation ended up in the hands of Grey Storm, allowing them to establish an F-4 production and maintenance facility of their own at an unknown location. (WORK IN PROGRESS) Category:Inactive Factions Category:Factions Category:NPC Factions